Springbrook draws, smells blood in routs

The week in review of county boys basketball

Four Springbrook High School players scored in double figures in a 70-27 rout of Blair High School on Friday night, led by senior Jamal Olasewere's 16 points. Though the margin of victory was the largest of the season for the unbeaten Blue Devils, they have now beaten 12 of their 13 opponents by double digits.

"They're sharks, and when there's blood in the water, they attack," said Blair coach Mark DeStefano. "We were bleeding. Heavily."

Conversely, Kennedy's modus operandi has been keeping games close until the final moments. With a 43-41 ouster of Damascus on Friday, each of the Cavaliers' seven victories has now been decided by single digits. Of their six losses, four have been by 10 points or more.

- Magruder High School junior Spencer Datt scored his first 15 points of the season in the Colonels' 57-52 win at rival Sherwood High School. Prior to Friday night, Datt had played in just two of his team's games and had missed all seven of the shots he'd taken.

- Jewish Day center Eitan Chemerinski scored 55 points Jan. 21 against Potomac Valley Athletic Conference foe McLean. The 6-foot-8 Cornell (N.Y.) University commit logged 22 field goals and connected on all 11 of his free-throw attempts in just over two quarters of his team's 95-17 victory.

- Buoyed by 52 combined points from sophomores Jordan Goodman and Tino Bullock, Seneca Valley High School defeated Einstein High School 96-67 Friday night. Its point total in the game was the second highest in a Montgomery County Public Schools game this season. The benchmark is 97, also registered by the Screaming Eagles, in a 42-point victory over Watkins Mill High School on Jan. 7.

- Four Northwood High School starters, each branded with a nickname by Gladiator football coach and home public address announcer Dennis Harris, outscored Clarksburg in a 65-49 victory Friday night. Jake "The Snake" Gross, notched a game-high 17 points. "Quick" Nick Sparacino added 14, "Papa" Jon Cleveland scored 11 and "Easy Ed" Dyson pitched in with 8.

Quotable

"I've felt like my name should be Reverend Marcus Wiggins with how much I've preached to them: We're going to lose a game because of free throws.' We lost that playoff game against Blair last year because we went 27 percent from the line. And you know, we've had some games this year where we shot really poorly. But for probably the first time all season, we went to the line and just drained our free throws [18 of 23]."